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Introduction

Every parent dreams about their kids touching heights of success, as they grow up. Once, one becomes a parent, the drill begins. Most of the times, people put their heart and soul in upbringing their children.

There are many milestones to cross, before your kid would become a professional!

But, what if things start going wrong in the inception? What if your kid is struggling with the most basic task of reading? Wise parents never overlook, such things.

Lending a helping hand, to vigilant parents, this book, ‘ Teach your child in 100 easy lessons’ has been written. It is a great tool, to make parents understand, how to actually teach their kid the basic phonetics with no hassles!

This book has been around since 1986, and there are hundreds of thousands of copies of the book in circulation. Engelmann co authored the 100 Lessons book with Dr Phyllis Haddox and Elaine Bruner.

Siegfried Engelmann is professor emeritus of education at the University of Oregon and the primary architect of the Direct Instruction (DI) programs.

It is difficult, to almost impossible to recall how we had learnt reading! If the kid is a beginner at home, you can make him ready for school, or a struggler can turn into a fluent reader by using the simple, instructions and methodology provided in the book.

What methodology does it use?

The book is based upon the proven and well researched DISTAR (Direct Instruction System for Teaching and Remediation) method. The DISTAR method is the most successful learning to read methods used by schools across the USA.

A professor of education at the University of Oregon, Siegfried Engelmann is one of the originators of DISTAR, and has authored many other books on the subject of teaching.

Its user friendly!

Sensible, simple and well structured plan, that does not want to make any sort of planning in advance. It is user friendly to the extent that you can start teaching your kid, from the moment you buy it.

Lessons:

They are 100 as the title suggests. Each lesson is a 20-minute segment and offers parents or educators step-by-step instructions on what to say as the learner is guided through structured repetitions.

The technque:

The book emphasizes the explicit teaching of phonemic awareness (rhyming, blending, segmenting) along with 44 letter sound correspondences which enables the student to decode approximately 95% of the sounds they typically encounter when reading.

The book teaches the child to sound out words by blending the sounds together instead of pausing between sounds. By sounding out the word without a pause, your child will hear the whole word and this can help them decipher words more quickly.

What all, does it encompass?

There is an eighteen-page parent guide at the beginning of the book, which is important to read, and in each lesson, there’s a script that parents are supposed to follow exactly.

Everything necessary for instruction is contained in this single volume, including words, sentences, and stories for reading practice.

At the end of each lesson, there is a short writing lesson.

The stories, included are made attractive and with eye catching pictures, to keep the attention span of the child intact.

Because the program is written for instructing young children each lesson is build on the foundation that the last one has laid. It ha specifically been made such that it is a comfortable journey, and level of the lessons increase only gradually!

Price: The retail price of the book is around 22$, while you can buy it online from various websites for a lesser amount.

Its easier said than done!

Whatever, the book promises can be achieved only, when it practically works for you, and your child can respond to the methodology. Apart from lots of positive views about the book, we found some users who gave a clearer picture of where the book lacks and was it easy as it is projected, to make your child fluent in reading?

All these points are based on personal experiences.

We have summarised the issues that users faced :

Too many lessons. 100 lessons is a lot.

It would probably be confusing to use with a child who has already begun reading instruction in another method.

The book gradually introduces many irregular words or “sight words,” and since there’s so much repetition that eventually leads kids into memorising them. It may not work for children, who can’t memorise well.

The book uses “distorted” alphabets. While there is no need for introducing all of the supplementary letter symbols as an unnecessary complication.

The lessons do not last for 20 minutes! It takes a lot of time to complete lessons, parents have reported. You will need to break it up into smaller chunks and then it feels more like 1000 lessons, for a 2 n half or three year old kid.

You can’t expect a one size fits all approach! Despite the claims it makes and benefits that it delivered to many, it won’t still work for everyone. It is better before buying it, you may borrow a copy and check for yourself whether it works with your kid or not!

Or, if your kid is struggling, with sight words and they are confusing him still, it may not be the right choice. Price is very much affordable, nothing to worry about, but what you need here is results, and that is totally individual based.

As, a parent, there are loads of responsibilities to shoulder. Despite everything, teaching remains the most critical of all!

If you’re naive of the struggles that parents and kids have faced, or you are struggling currently with teaching your child to read, this program is an apt solution for you. It uses the science of PHONICS or sound based learning, in most practically usable and simple manner to give your kid an early advantage or to turn a struggler into a fluent reader!

Jim Yang, a successful and innovative parent and reading teacher, has already won the battle for you!

About the author:

Jim Yang, a father, a reading teacher, and the creator of the Children Learning Reading program. He and his wife have taught their children, to read, via the same methodology. He delivers to you what has experimented personally!

According to Jim Yang, the most crucial years in a child’s development are the first seven – with cognitive function reaching its peak at 2 – 3 years of age. It is this crucial period that must be taken advantage of to cultivate healthy brain growth and academic development.

Early readers tend to become lifelong readers and also lifelong learners.

What he claims?

Make kids smart by making them learn to read early!

He claims his program is not a quick fix, but has a lasting approach to give you life long advantage over others. It takes a decent amount of 12 weeks time to make your child learn.

No fake promises, where in a bunch of days you may see results!

What’s different?

It does not start with making your child struggle, with sighting the words and memorising them and them learn the sound it produces! Turn the table around by making them learn the sound first!

Only some words in this methodology will be considered as words, those which cannot be decoded easily by little kid. Rather than dumping all the alphabets and words for memorisation on a small brain!

What should you teach first.. letter or sound? Lets explore some facts about it..

Phonics, or sound based learning is apt for all, for slow learners, those with reading disabilities, and for perfectly normal kids, it can turn them into a starrer in class!

This has been, proved through research, experimentation and case studies. Lots of reading programs, and teachers use this methodology, but what makes a difference here is the delivery process! How this should be done, to effectively train a young mind.

No research could be of any use, if it does not help produce results, or bring about changes that it should!

That’s why you need, to learn from an expert, who has taught many, himself and has struggled with the most critical of cases!

Why go in for this program?

‘A practical approach!’ makes all the difference!’

Being high on the practical aspect, this approach is really effective! Being a reading teacher, the author knows the issues children face, and where the conventional system of teaching English lacks!

On the other hand being a father who has taught his little kids to read efficiently, he knows how it should be delivered!

You, get a dual advantage where, you will face all hurdles with ease, such that you will know, how to aptly teach a little curious mind!

That’s ease and happiness knocking at your door.

Who should use it?

It is universally applicable for all!

The program can be for a toddler , to a 2,3 or 4 year kid, who is unexposed to any formal teaching. Even a struggling child as as big as a 4th grader can benefit from it. The author claims it to be of use to adults too!

The program consists of 50 lessons. It has been divided as:

Stage 1: The first stage of the program contains 28 lessons. It introduces a basic level of phonetics to the children so that they can understand the different letters of the alphabet, the sounds of the letters and the technique of reading. During this stage, they will learn how to decode a word and then blend the parts together, so that they can read the entire word clearly.

Stage 2: The second stage of the program consists of 22 lessons and will learn them how to use the skills they learned in the first stage and improve their reading skills even further. They will be reading more complex stories and rhymes and understanding longer and more difficult words.

The program requires short practice sessions with your child of only 10-15 minutes per day.

It is important for you to know, that the program does not come in any physical book format. It is a ready to download program, which consists of pdf files, mp3 audios and assisting material, all that you need, but in a digital form!

The cost:

It is available in two forms:

The standard package costs around 50$ while the premium package, with added workshops etc amounts to 70$. The price is affordable, for the ease this program will deliver.

Advantages:

Sound/symbol (phonics)-based. They break words down into their smallest visual components: letters and the sounds associated with them. The method that Jim uses can even help children with reading disorders!

Apt for the limited attention span of children.It has been taken care, not to make the lessons tiresome. Each session may last for 3 to 5 minutes as claimed by the author.

Makes teaching a playful and interactive session between the parent and child eliminating the use of physical books, computer programs or TV!

Supported By Real Testimonials. The official website and many forums online show, satisfied parents who have tested its efficiency.

Private e mail counselling with the makers of this program for a span of 12 weeks.

Additional bonuses, to aid you in this program which include stage 1 and 2 stories, nursery rhymes, MP3 additional clips, and lifetime upgrades made to the program.

The flip side:

Reconsidering every aspect, we found no downsides to this program. One concern it poses, is the time that you will have to invest as a parent.

Since, the program is highly interactive and activity based, it requires a lot of effort on the part of the parent. Those of you who are extremely busy would not be able to use this program efficiently!

We highly, recommend, this over the conventional and formal methodology that any book like ‘Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons’ uses. That is because most schools have switched to DISTAR method, which is the basis for the book, or any other conventional reading program.

If school did not work for your kid, or you want him/her to be at an early advantage even before going to school. This is the best choice for you!

Positive customer reviews on TEACH YOUR CHILD IN 100 EASY LESSONS:

I’m very happy with the results so far. My daughter (4 years old) is currently on lesson 7 and liking the book a lot. It isn’t a very colorful book with lots of exciting things, however, the parent needs to keep it fresh/exciting for the kid. I just got stickers (stars) for her so when we finish a lesson, she can put the star on the page for completing it well. Also, the sounding out of words can be exaggerated in a way that keeps them interested and I say things like “I can’t hear you…” when it’s her turn to say the sound. She thinks that’s funny and keeps her interested. (Ken)

I have found this to be a great program; engaging and challening for the reader. The book has easy to read directions, but it does take a few lessons to get the structured style down. It took me the first three lessons, time and dedication to get the program. Within the first 10 lessons I have noticed the confidence and progress in my son’s reading. Plus, the book explains to the parent how to keep the child interested, so he can learn at his own pace. (Monica Swanson)

Fantastic book. Have used with 3 children, and they have all excelled in reading with this book. Phonics based program makes reading fast and exciting. My kids have never taken the full 100 days, but have begged to do several lessons a day…..which is less than 20-30 minutes. Great results from a great book. (Anonymous)

Love this! I taught kindergarten for three years and never worried about teaching my own kids to read– until my oldest dug his feet in and refused to try. I backed off and we started this program when he reached first grade. At first he still dreaded it, but by the time the stories were introduced reading became his favorite subject! He asks to do it first and can’t wait till the end of each lesson to see if any of the new letters will be used in the story. Lessons are short and quick and the advise for praise is golden! (Kelly)

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons proved 100% successful in teaching my six children to read to a 2nd grade level. The program’s ease of use lies in its symbols (which slowly ‘disappear’ by the last lessons), scripted text for parents, and pictures with questions to reinforce understanding of each lesson’s story. It was really simple to use, and I liked not having to deal with flash cards, or extra drilling found in some other programs. 100 Lessons is great for any learning style. My youngest child was having the hardest time completing the lessons with me, and I just jumped back until I knew they would be successful. They just needed a little more review. I really trusted the program’s soundness as I had used it five times already. Plus, early on, this program proves to parent and child, that if one is faithful in the little things (doing a lesson every day), one can reap great rewards. Honestly, I have recommended this to every homeschooling friend I know. (Belinda)

My child has a diagnosis of severe ADHD and learning to read was a breeze using “TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ IN 100 EASY LESSONS.” His learning disorder was difficult to diagnose because of his reading skills. I loved the book so much that I have purchased at least 10-12 for struggling parents and friends. They too were satisfied. (Vereena)

So I was recommended this curriculum by two Moms and they both said that had amazing results with their children from the lessons in this book. My child going on five did great for the first three lessons when we were about lesson ten she started to resist. She said she did not like it. I tried to make it as fun and engaging as I could for her but the resistance became thicker. So I placed the book on the shelf. Very sad, but if this won’t fit for her I won’t push it. My ultimate goal is love of learning and finding something at this young age where she will not resist. good luck to any and all who purchase, it might work well for your child. Note: that this book takes a bit of parent per study as you have to learn how to teach with the new alphabet introduced in the text. (Vella)

Negative Customer reviews on TEACH YOUR CHILD IN 100 EASY LESSONS:

This book came highly recommended to me by someone that I truly respect in teaching. She taught her three children how to read with this book and they were 2 grade levels ahead when they started school. I started this book with my 5 year old to teach him to read. He was familiar with letters so to have this book go soely on the sounds the letter make, not the name of the letter, was difficult to manoeuvre. It is repetitive, and that was very boring to my son who was familiar with some of the concepts. I believe that repetition is a good thing. I am not sure if my son and I didn’t enjoy learning with this book because it was so repetitive and he was too old for it, or I was just not using it correctly. We made it through the first 6 lessons and I know people who love this book and others whom it did not fit their learning situation. This book, like any other curriculum, suits some kids not all. It is also noteworthy that my son has ADD and sitting still for the necessary 12 mins to take care of the lesson was torture (it took 20-30 mins. because of the moaning and groaning). I know this is not so for many other children. So there are my 2 cents worth, I hope it helps you make a more informed decision. (Amazon customer)

My son is five and started this the summer before kindergarten. At lesson 20 was reading. Would give five stars if it taught phonics to me this is more sight based learning. Easy fifteen to twenty minute lessons a day. If your child is struggling to read worth a try to supplement what is being taught at school. I bought this to see if my son would respect me as his teacher before starting homeschool and he did and caught on fast. If u know phonics u can always explain why the letters make the sound they do as the book doesn’t explain it for u. (L. Lopez)

I used this to teach my 5 year old daughter how to read…and she did learn how to read using this but it lacked a LOT in teaching phonics, especially for an OCD child. Towards the end of the book it also got very overwhelming for her seeing two pages of reading and only a small picture. Not that she couldn’t read that much it just was very intimidating for her to do to the point that she would cry when I said it was reading time. It wasn’t a horrible learning tool but I think it’s just knowing your child and what will and won’t work for them. (Katrina)

So I was recommended this curriculum by two Moms and they both said that had amazing results with their children from the lessons in this book. My child going on five did great for the first three lessons when we were about lesson ten she started to resist. She said she did not like it. I tried to make it as fun and engaging as I could for her but the resistance became thicker. So I placed the book on the shelf. Very sad, but if this won’t fit for her I won’t push it. My ultimate goal is love of learning and finding something at this young age where she will not resist. good luck to any and all who purchase, it might work well for your child. Note: that this book takes a bit of parent per study as you have to learn how to teach with the new alphabet introduced in the text. (S. Vella)

I think this is a very well thought out, logical book. I think a child who is good at listening and builds up info bit by bit would do very well with it. I also think a child who can take in info either auditorially or visually would find it useful. We have a child who is very visual spatial and the excercises are too dull and repetitive to retain his interest. J. (age 5) is already teaching himself to read by making words into pictures and we were looking for a way to help him also understand phonics. Adding color prompts, humor and visual explainations/ diagrams along with the script would make it better for the real visual kids. (Jennifer)

This book is fantastic if your child doesn’t know even basic letter sounds, however, if they’re a little more advanced than that, the earlier lessons will be far too simple and may lead to boredom and annoyance with your child. There is a lot of repetition, and while I understand that it is a way Children learn, chapter after chapter of “Mmm say Mmm” is too much. Mix it up a little with another sound at least. (Crystal Bass)

My child easily gets frustrated with the lessons, and only sometimes finds them enjoyable. We are still only in the beginning of the book and we will re-evaluate as we get closer to the middle. She does however have a bit easier time sounding out words now that we’ve had this book. (Rhonda)